Rhodes puts Colts back on playoff map [11:48 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'"I'll tell you what, that guy there is a good football player," said Colts' coach Jim Mora as he passed Rhodes outside the locker room. "We were very confident that he'd do it for us today."'

Bills' Brown makes poor media decision after loss [11:46 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'An awkward situation arose in the Bills' lockerroom after the game. Guard Ruben Brown was visibly upset several times during the game, once throwing his helmet, then gathering his offensive teammates around him for an emotional chat. Naturally, the media wanted to talk to him after the game. But he declined, except to WGR's Ed Kilgore. As Brown explained, "They pay me."'

Bills stink up Ralph Wilson [11:44 PM]Niagara Falls Reporter reports:
'When Buffalo visited Indianapolis in the second week of the season, the Bills defense made the Colts look like the offensive equivalent of the St. Louis Rams, surrendering 42 points and 555 yards.....'.

Bills scour for talent [12:48 PM]Sporting News reports:
It's common for an NFL general manager to visit a couple of college games during the fall to scout talent for the upcoming draft. But we've seen Buffalo Bills GM Tom Donahoe two of the past four weeks at a college venue, telling us he's very interested in helping rebuild the Bills.

Granted, his future relies on the success of the team's next couple of drafts, but considering all the other responsibilities his job entails, it's impressive to see Donahoe comb the country for players as if he were still an area scout.

Indianpolis Colts Trounce Buffalo Bills 30 - 14 [10:07 AM]Niagara Falls Reporter reports:
Even the normally verbose Ruben Brown had trouble finding the right words after the Indianapolis Colts trounced the Buffalo Bills 30-14 Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
"They know everything they need to know when they go out there and play the game," Buffalo's left guard and the offensive line's de facto elder statesman. "It's unfortunate that sometimes they're in situations ... it's really tough .... I don't know what to say."
Brown was answering a question about the hapless performance of Marques Sullivan and Jon Carman, each a first-year player forced into the lineup by injuries to left tackle John Fina and right tackle Jonas Jennings.
But he could have been talking about the whole team.

Colts keep Bills winless at home [9:41 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Against a Colts defense that came into Sunday's game allowing a league-worst points-per-game average, the Bills could not score an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, when Jay Riemersma hauled in a 27-yard touchdown with 3:39 remaining in regulation. Buffalo struggled to move the football all afternoon, gaining just 68 yards of total offense in the first half and just 232 total yards on the afternoon.

5th Down: Don't forget these guys [9:39 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Miss the good old days? You know, the weeks when every Sunday, you simply knew the Buffalo Bills were going to win? It was not a question of if, but by how much. Each year, you could safely assume the Bills were going to the Super Bowl. That was not a question of if, either; you would only wonder who they were going to play.

Jim Kelly's career helped build Bills [9:38 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Kelly was drafted by Buffalo out of the University of Miami with Buffalo's 14th overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, but Kelly opted to play with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League to begin his pro career, and he spent three seasons in the USFL until he finally came to terms with the Bills in August, 1986.

Bills-Colts post-game quotebook [9:36 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Gregg Williams: "I am disappointed. I thought we would have played better. I thought the Colts played very well. That was the best game they have played in several weeks. We didn't play well. We didn't tackle well on defense. We did not protect Rob very well at the beginning of the ball game. We turned the ball over in short field, and we are not good enough to play on short fields."

Bills limp off with sixth loss [9:14 AM]Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
'Why, if you remove Ruben Brown's 304 pounds from the equation, the other four members of the Bills' front line totaled 16 NFL starts coming into Sunday's affair. Which is just 16 more than, oh, the barbershop quartet of your choice.'

Hope sacked in another home loss [9:11 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"We haven't played this bad since I've been here," said left guard Ruben Brown. "It's disappointing. I'm really upset."'

Colts show Bills a real blockbuster [9:09 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The Buffalo Bills conducted an experiment Sunday. Can you manufacture an offense without any pass blocking? The answer was a resounding "NO."'

Bills' offense stumbling again [9:07 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"We have to protect the ball more," said Williams, whose team has a minus-9 turnover ratio. "When you turn the ball over, it takes plays away from the offense. We tried to put the ball back in Rob's hands and he played hard. He just didn't have any time."'

Rhodes travels well in first NFL start [9:05 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'You probably never heard of Rhodes, who pronounces his first name Dom-en-eek. He's nowhere to be found in the Colts' media guide. He wears No. 33, in honor of his boyhood idol, Tony Dorsett. The Bills might not have known much about him, but they found out more than they wanted after watching him Sunday.'

O-line is Woe-line in abysmal performance [9:04 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The Bills were at home, facing a sorry Colts defense that had allowed the most points in the NFL. You figured they could build on the momentum of the Chargers loss, put a few touchdowns on the board, maybe even win the game. Instead, they took a step back - and look out, here comes another Colts lineman, flying unabated to the quarterback!'

Home not very sweet of late [9:00 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Sunday's 30-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts ran the Bills' home losing streak to six games, going back to last season. That's the team's longest run of mediocrity since 1984.'

Monday billboard [8:58 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Attendance was 63,786. It was the first time this season the Bills didn't sell out in time to lift the television blackout, but probably not the last. The Ralph was about half full - or half empty, depending on your attitude - with 9:14 left in the fourth quarter. It was about one-quarter full when Clements fumbled a kickoff return with 9:01 left. Early leavers never learned the play was overturned after review. Or maybe they didn't care.'

Fans turn on the Bills [7:17 AM]Toronto Sun reports:
'With a game in New England next Sunday against the Patriots, yesterday's loss guaranteed that the Bills will go more than a year without a home win. Their most recent victory at the Ralph came on Nov. 12, 2000 against the Chicago Bears, seven starts ago.'

The Ralph a home away from home for Indy [7:16 AM]Toronto Sun reports:
'It's the second consecutive year the Colts have won on Canada Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where an estimated 15,000 of the 63,786 in attendance were from southern Ontario.'

Bills take big step back [5:31 AM]D and C reports:
'"Today we played an opponent that knows us better than those other teams (San Diego and Jacksonville) did. They had our number all day. I feel bad for the fans. It's tough for them to keep coming back to the games and cheering. We played terrible. It was awful."'

Bills need to do their share for fans' sake [5:30 AM]D and C reports:
'They are inept on offense thanks to a woefully undermanned and overmatched offensive line and a quarterback who just can't get over the hump and maintain a steady climb on the progress meter. They are just average on defense which is a nice way of saying they play well occasionally, but ultimately, their good plays are hidden by killer mistakes that cannot be overcome. And on special teams, it's a complete crap shoot. Nate Clements returns a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, but the protection breaks down for the second week in a row and Jake Arians has another field goal blocked.'

Bills lose momentum, home mystique [5:29 AM]D and C reports:
'They went up in flames, losing 30-14, Buffalo's fourth home loss this season and sixth in a row. If this is home cooking, someone needs to check the cook's I.D.'

Ex-center Hull winces as offensive line collapses [5:28 AM]D and C reports:
'"A lot of people say give up on Rob, but I think he has great skills and he's tough as hell," he said. "They just got to get that line fixed, and that ain't going to happen overnight."'

Buffalo Bills report card [5:27 AM]D and C reports:
'Guess three inspired performances out of Rob Johnson was too much to expect. Had a chance to win more support before the home fans but instead gave his critics more fuel. Played behind another horrid line combination but that's a given these days. The Bills need more out of their $5 million man. Johnson was listless, his passes were off the mark for three quarters and two fumbles after sacks led to 10 Colts' points.'

Smothering defense defines win over Bills [5:26 AM]Indianapolis Star reports:
'Quarterback Rob Johnson was the primary recipient of the wave of aggression. He absorbed six sacks, lost two fumbles that set up Colts scores and was totally inept until mop-up time late in the fourth quarter.'